In the context of his treatment of mass extinctions earlier in the passage, the author’s remarks toward the middle of the fourth paragraph (“Rather . . . homegrown”) offer a perspective that is A. mildly reassuring

B. surprisingly complacent

C. somewhat ironic

D. rigorously scholarly

E. thoroughly jaded

1. a poem that tells a story irony 2. taking on human characteristics narrative 3. a direct comparison between two things personification 4. words that are opposite the thoughts in a speaker's mind simile 5. implied comparison introduced with "as" and "like idiom 6. one's own manner of speaking metaphor

Which sentences from part 1 of the call of the wild would best serve as evidence of the theme "sometimes survival depends on knowing when not to fight"? buck had accepted the rope with quiet dignity. to be sure, it was an unwonted performance: but he had learned to trust in men he knew, and to give them credit for a wisdom that outreached his own. he had merely intimated his displeasure, in his pride believing that to intimate was to command. but to his surprise the rope tightened around his neck, shutting off his breath. he saw, once for all, that he stood no chance against a man with a club. he had learned the lesson, and in all his after life he never forgot it. that had given them an unfair advantage; but now that it was off, he would show them. they would never get another rope around his neck.

What can the reader infer about the fears and values of the ancient greeks based on this description of the cyclops’s island?